The subject matter herein generally relates to electrical connector assemblies and, more particularly, to center plates for connector assemblies.
Known connector assemblies are shaped to receive one or more mating connectors. These connector assemblies include ports through which the mating connectors are loaded. For example, some known connector assemblies include shielding connector cages that include several ports. The connector cages include walls that define the ports. The walls are electrically grounded to shield other components near the connector cage from electromagnetic interference.
The connector cages have a mating interface through which the mating connectors are loaded into the ports. The ports are separated from one another by a center plate. The mating connectors are loaded into the ports to mate with electrical connectors located in the connector assemblies. The center plate in each of the ports includes a spring member that extends into the port and engages the mating connector that is loaded into the port to retain the mating connector in the port. The center plates for adjacent ports are separated by gaps. The center plates may be separate components, or may be components that are coupled together in a location remote from the mating interface of the connector cage. The gap between the center plates provides a path for electromagnetic interference to radiate from the connector cage. Some known connector cages attempt to reduce the amount of electromagnetic interference that radiates through the gap between the center plates by adding an additional component that closes off the gap. Yet, introducing additional components to the connector cages increases the cost and complexity of manufacturing the connector cages.
Some known connector assemblies having connector cages include one or more indicator lights. These indicator lights are disposed in one or more of the ports. The indicator lights emit a light that indicates a state of one or more connectors located in the connector cage. For example, indicator lights such as one or more light pipes may emit a light that indicates that a mating connector is in communication with a connector located in the connector cage. Placing these indicator lights in the ports of the connector cage, however, consumes valuable space in the connector cage. For example, a mating connector cannot be loaded into a port that includes the indicator lights. As a result, fewer ports are available for mating connectors to be loaded into in order to mate with the connectors in the connector cage. In other known connector assemblies, the indicator lights are provided above the ports and outside of the connector cage. Yet, this placement of the indicator lights consumes additional space outside of the connector cage and increases the overall size of the connector assembly.